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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29429346">Still So Young</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitkatkaylie/pseuds/kitkatkaylie'>kitkatkaylie</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Family Feels, Gen, Rickon is a Baby</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 13:41:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,004</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29429346</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitkatkaylie/pseuds/kitkatkaylie</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Rickon had two brothers, he knew this, one who went South and died, and Bran who went North of the Wall. So why is there a man on Skagos claiming to be sent by Rickon’s brother...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jon Snow &amp; Rickon Stark, Rickon Stark &amp; Sansa Stark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>52</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Still So Young</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Rickon was scared.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was scared of the man that had collected him from Skagos, the man missing some of his fingertips. The man with a strange accent who kept calling him a prince, who said he had been sent by Rickon’s brother.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rickon did not believe him. Rickon only had one brother: Bran. Bran who was surely dead Beyond the Wall, dead like Osha, dead like the parents Osha had told him he once had. He might have had another brother, once upon a time, but he was dead now as well, and he had long abandoned Rickon. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rickon did not trust or believe the man, but he had no choice other than to go with him. Not when he had made sure to get Shaggydog on the ship first. Not when he had told the Skagosi who Rickon was, when he had told those of the island who hated the Starks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rickon was no longer safe on Skagos, not without Osha to protect him and his identity revealed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had to allow himself to be taken to the brother he did not have, by a man who could have been working for the men who killed Rickon’s family.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He did not want to, but Rickon’s wants had not meant anything in a long time.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Rickon!” A man that Rickon did not recognise ran towards him with his arms outstretched.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rickon bared his teeth at the man, but he paid no notice, sweeping Rickon up in his arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rickon did not like that. And he had warned the man about that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sank his teeth into the man’s arm, biting and biting until he tasted blood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was pleased to hear the man yelp, pleased to see others rush forwards to see what was happening. Rickon may have only been five years of age, but he knew how to protect himself. Osha and Shaggydog had taught him that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hands prised at his jaw, fighting to make him release the man. Rickon did, eventually, and allowed himself to be lifted away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hopefully that would teach the people there from trying to hurt him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man had the audacity to look at him with a wounded expression as he clutched his arm. Rickon did not care. Rickon bared his bloodstained teeth at him again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rickon?” That man sounded almost </span>
  <em>
    <span>scared</span>
  </em>
  <span>, a fact that man Rickon preen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He growled again, and watched as the man stepped back slightly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rickon?” The man knelt down, as if to make himself smaller and unthreatening, “Rickon, it’s me, Jon. I’m your brother, remember?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Liar!” Rickon did not believe the man, he had two brothers and they were both gone, “Liar!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man flinched, and his face suddenly became so sad. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not lying, Rickon.” The man reached out as if he wanted to touch Rickon, but he did not step any closer, “I am your brother, Jon Snow, I was one of the first people to hold you after you were born, I helped you to learn how to walk. I brought you Shaggydog home!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rickon clapped his hands over his ears, he didn’t want to hear any more. He couldn’t hear any more lies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then Shaggydog bounded past him, his tail wagging far more furiously than Rickon had seen before. He leapt at a white wolf, and the two startled to roll on the floor, nipping at each other and growling playfully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Only Rickon and his siblings had wolves. He remembered that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe- maybe this ‘Jon’ was telling the truth?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His head hurt at the thought, he didn’t know what to do. He did not trust this person who had taken him away from Skagos. This person who had made him leave what he knew, and who had tried to touch him and grab him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But if Shaggydog trusted them then maybe Rickon could. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a horn outside the castle, one that almost seemed to shake the walls themselves. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone sprang to life at the sound, preparing for an attack or good news. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rickon allowed Jon to tell him to stay in the chamber, he even let him think that Rickon would obey for a whole five minutes, </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then he followed him down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rickon had lived alone long enough to know how to defend himself, and he knew enough about the world to know that if there was an army outside the gates it wouldn’t make a lick of difference if he was in a chamber or not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was still a sense of betrayal and fear at the thought of an army, or of men in black and gold or pink and red.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rickon followed his supposed brother down to the courtyard. He stayed out of sight just long enough that for Jon to return him would have meant that he would also have missed what was going on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A small group of people rode in, men in pale blue and silver, and at the centre of them all, at the centre was a woman.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rickon could hardly believe his eyes: long red hair, a gentle smile, a blue dress… it was his mama.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He ignored the hands trying to hold him back, ignored the way people were trying to keep him away from his mother. He had not seen her in so long, and he would not be kept away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He launched himself at his mother, almost knocking her from her feet. He didn’t though, she caught him and managed to support him with a surprising strength.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rickon.” She murmured into his hair, “Rickon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rickon snuggled into her hold, “I thought you were dead. Why did you abandon me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mother sobbed lightly and ran a hand down his back, “I did not mean to abandon you, sweetling. It was out of my control.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rickon sighed lightly, a sigh of contentment. “I forgive you. You are back now, mama, and that’s all that matters.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shut his eyes, and breathed in the scent of lemons, and did not notice the look his family exchanged. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading!</p><p>Find me on tumblr @istaricelebelasse</p></blockquote></div></div>
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